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Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire3

Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire Test

Designed to explore why students study, the Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire Test contains 28 questions and takes about 6 minutes. Its result outlines different academic motives, from curiosity and achievement to social expectations and practical goals, helping respondents reflect on what drives their learning.

Questions: 286 minutes

Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Socially Dependent Behavior (Z)SDB

Measures the extent to which a student tends to conform to group opinions and follow collective norms in academic behavior.

example score5/7

5/7Moderate conformityexample score

0 – 2Low conformity

3 – 5Moderate conformity

6 – 7High conformity

A score of 5 indicates a moderate tendency to align with peers’ opinions and shared norms during learning activities.

Achievement Motivation (Female)AM

Measures the extent to which a student is motivated by achieving high results and recognition for academic success.

example score3/7

3/7Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 7High

A score of 3 suggests a moderate focus on achievement, where success and recognition are motivating but not dominant drivers of learning.

Information Acquisition (E)IA

Measures how strongly a student is motivated to seek and use information as a way to affirm personal significance and achieve personal goals.

example score5/7

5/7Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 7High

A score of 5 indicates a moderate emphasis on acquiring information as a useful resource for self-affirmation and reaching personal aims in learning.

Material Well-Being (D)MWB

Assesses the extent to which a student is motivated to study for future material benefits and practical advantages of education.

example score5/7

5/7Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 7High

A score of 5 indicates a moderate emphasis on studying as a pathway to future material well-being and practical outcomes.

Prestige (G)P

Measures how strongly a student is motivated by gaining recognition, respect, and higher social status through academic achievement.

example score4/7

4/7Moderate prestige focusexample score

0 – 2Low prestige focus

3 – 5Moderate prestige focus

6 – 7High prestige focus

A score of 4 indicates a moderate emphasis on recognition and status as part of the student’s learning motivation.

Cognitive (B)C

Measures the extent to which a student is motivated by curiosity and learning for its own sake.

example score2/7

2/7Lowexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 7High

A score of 2 indicates a low cognitive motive, suggesting learning is less often driven by interest in gaining new knowledge itself.

Socially Oriented (B)SO

Measures how strongly a student is motivated by duty, responsibility, and meeting others’ expectations in learning.

example score3/7

3/7Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 5Moderate

6 – 7High

A score of 3 suggests a moderate reliance on social norms and approval as a driver for studying, alongside other motives.

External Coercion (A)EC

Measures the extent to which a student completes academic tasks due to external pressure or fear of punishment rather than internal interest.

example score5/7

5/7Moderate external pressureexample score

0 – 2Low external pressure

3 – 5Moderate external pressure

6 – 7High external pressure

A score of 5 suggests external pressure is a noticeable factor in learning motivation, though it is not the sole driver.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

School psychologists and counselors

41%OF USERS

They use it to pinpoint what motivates each student and plan targeted support for engagement, behavior, and academic progress.

Teachers and homeroom leaders

34%OF USERS

They take it to understand what drives their class or individual students and adjust instruction, feedback, and incentives accordingly.

Students and parents

25%OF USERS

They use it to clarify personal learning drivers and reduce conflicts around grades, expectations, and study habits.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Socially dependent behavior (D)

You?

Average3.8

Typical rangeTypical2.7 – 5

Possible0 – 7

Achievements of Success (F)

You?

Average3.2

Typical rangeTypical2.3 – 4.1

Possible0 – 7

Information Retrieval (E)

You?

Average4.9

Typical rangeTypical3.9 – 5.9

Possible0 – 7

Material well-being (D)

You?

Average1.9

Typical rangeTypical0.9 – 2.9

Possible0 – 7

Prestige (G)

You?

Average4.7

Typical rangeTypical3.7 – 5.7

Possible0 – 7

Informative (V)

You?

Average1.9

Typical rangeTypical0.7 – 3.1

Possible0 – 7

Socially Oriented (B)

You?

Average2.8

Typical rangeTypical1.6 – 4.1

Possible0 – 7

External coercion (A)

You?

Average2.7

Typical rangeTypical1.7 – 3.7

Possible0 – 7

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Read each of the paired statements presented below as questions. For each pair, select the one question that most accurately reflects your desire to learn. Please note that the questions are repeated throughout the questionnaire, but each time in a different combination. There are no “good” or “bad” questions. By choosing one question and not choosing the other, you are simply expressing your individual characteristics.

- Wanting to gain knowledge in order to be helpful to others
- Wanting to be among the best students
- Being among the best students.
- Becoming a well-educated, knowledgeable person.
- The desire to be among the top students
- The desire to do any task as well as possible

These are 3 of the 28 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test

academic motivation

Students who want to understand what sustains their academic effort can use this questionnaire as a structured starting point. The Student Learning Motivation Questionnaire Test compares motives such as curiosity, achievement, approval, duty, pressure, and practical benefit, producing a profile rather than a single judgment. An academic motivation assessment can support reflection for learners, parents, and educators discussing study habits and learning conditions.

What This Assessment Explores

Contrasts include learning for discovery, using knowledge for personal significance, doing work carefully, securing future benefits, gaining recognition, meeting duties and others’ expectations, avoiding criticism, and avoiding punishment. This structure treats motivation as competing priorities rather than one level.

For an individual, the student motivation profile shows which reasons are prominent in study situations. Cognitive motivation concerns learning and discovery; the information-acquisition motive concerns the self-affirming personal significance of knowledge. Socially oriented motivation reflects duty, responsibility, and external expectations, alongside achievement, practical goals, prestige, conformity, or pressure. A high result on one motive does not imply a weakness.

The questionnaire is suitable for students and adults helping them discuss engagement, goals, feedback, and study conditions. Results can clarify why a task feels appealing or burdensome and support discussion of study goals, pressures, and conditions.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Forced-choice items pair motives, and responses produce eight dimensions:

Socially Dependent Behavior (Z), 0-7, measures conformity: Low conformity 0-2; Moderate conformity 3-5; High conformity 6-7.
Achievement Motivation (Female), 0-7, measures success: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-7.
Information Acquisition (E), 0-7, measures the personal significance of knowledge: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-7.
Material Well-Being (D), 0-7, measures practical benefit: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-7.
Prestige (G), 0-7, measures recognition: Low prestige focus 0-2; Moderate prestige focus 3-5; High prestige focus 6-7.
Cognitive (B), 0-7, measures discovery: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-7.
Socially Oriented (B), 0-7, measures duty and approval: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-5; High 6-7. External Coercion (A), 0-7, measures pressure: Low external pressure 0-2; Moderate external pressure 3-5; High external pressure 6-7.

Deci and Ryan’s self-determination framework and Pashnev’s student cognitive-activity work offer conceptual comparisons; this learning motivation questionnaire is conceptually consistent with them, not an adaptation or validated version. Displayed bands are descriptive categories; current context and response bias can affect self-report.

Author: Edward L. Deci, Richard M. Ryan

Literature:

Pashnev, B. K. (1995). Study of Students' Cognitive Activity at School. Kharkiv: Scientific-Methodological Pedagogical Center.
Pashnev, B. K. (2010). Psychodiagnostics: A School Psychologist's Practical Manual: Giftedness Index, Inclination to Creativity, Cognitive Activity. Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix. ISBN 978-5-222-17017-5.
Pashnev, B. K. (2005-2006). Psychodiagnostics of Giftedness. Practical Psychology and Social Work, 12, 59-65; 1, 24-30.
Petrenko, Larisa M., Iryna P. Varava, and Andrey V. Pikilnyak. (2020). Motivation readiness of future software engineer’s professional self-improvement and prospects of its formation in college cloud environment. CTE Workshop Proceedings, 7, 626-647. 10.55056/cte.417

Updated: 2025-10-02